Washington Diplomat PO Box 1345 Wheaton, MD 20915 Tel: 301.933.3552 Fax: 301.949.0065
**Unless specific times are listed, please check the theater for times. Theater locations are subject to change.
Czech
I Served the Kind of England (Obsluhoval Jsem Anglického Krále) Directed by Jirí Menzel (Czech Republic/Slovakia, 2006, 120 min.) An ambitious waiter decides he wants to become a millionaire in World War II and later Communist-ruled Prague. The Avalon Theatre Opens Fri., Sept. 12
English
Aliens Directed by James Cameron (U.S., 1986, 137 min.) The second film in the “Alien” series finds heroine Ripley back on Earth after drifting in space for 57 years, persuaded to return to the alien’s home planet to see what happened to its missing colonizers. AFI Silver Theatre Through Sept. 4
Amadeus Directed by Milos Forman (U.S., 1984, 160 min.) The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is told in flashbacks by a mediocre court composer plagued by jealousy of — and admiration of — his rival. AFI Silver Theatre Through Sept. 3
Battle in Seattle Directed by Stuart Townsend (U.S./Germany/Canada, 2007, 100 min.) Activists arrive in Seattle en masse to protest a meeting of the World Trade Organization. Riots and chaos ensue as demonstrators successfully stop the WTO meetings. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 26
Blowup Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (U.S./U.K./Italy, 1966, 111 min.) A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, marijuana and easy sex takes a photo one day that may have captured the commission of a murder. AFI Silver Theatre Sept. 5 to 16
Brideshead Revisited Directed by Julian Jarrold (U.K., 2008, 135 min.) Emma Thompson stars in this heartbreaking romantic epic about forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in pre-World War II England and based on Evelyn Waugh’s acclaimed novel. AFI Silver Theatre
Elegy Directed by Isabel Coixet (U.S., 2008, 108 min.) Cultural critic David finds his life thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Flow: For the Love of Water Directed by Irena Salina (U.S., 2008, 93 min.) This documentary confronts the disturbing reality that the world’s most crucial resource is dwindling and greed just may be the cause. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 19
Foreign Intrigue Directed by Sheldon Reynolds (U.S., 1956, 100 min.) Robert Mitchum’s employer, a mysterious multimillionaire living on the French Riviera, dies and suddenly everyone is extremely interested to find out what his last words were in this Cold War noir thriller shot in Vienna, Paris, the Riviera and Stockholm. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Fri., Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
Frozen River Directed by Courtney Hunt (U.S., 2008, 97 min.) Set in a real-life smuggling zone on a Native American reservation between New York State and Quebec, the lure of fast money presents a daily challenge to single moms who would otherwise be making minimum wage. (English and French) Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Hamlet 2 Directed by Andrew Fleming (U.S., 2008, 92 min.) In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher rallies his Arizona students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” AFI Silver Theatre The Avalon Theatre Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Directed by Steven Spielberg (U.S., 1989, 127 min.) When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father’s footsteps to rescue him and stop the Nazis. AFI Silver Theatre Through Sept. 4
I.O.U.S.A. Directed by Patrick Creadon (U.S., 2008, 85 min.) I.O.U.S.A. is a documentary film exploring the rapidly growing federal debt and its implication for the United States as the country is faced with the challenges of an ever-expanding government and military, increased foreign competition, and obligations it is finding more and more difficult to honor. Regal Ballston Common Regal Fairfax Towne Center
A Jihad for Love Directed by Parvez Sharma (U.S./U.K./France/Germany/Australia, 2007, 81 min.) Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma creates the first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality, presenting gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France . (English, Arabic, Hindi, Farsi, Urdu and French) Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 5
Keeping the Faith Directed by Edward Norton (U.S., 2000, 128 min.) Best friends since childhood, Rabbi Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) and Father Brian Finn (Ed Norton) are thrown for a romantic loop when a third childhood friend moves back to New York, tempting both men though neither can truly pursue a romantic relationship with her because of their respective faiths. Washington DCJCC
A Passage to India Directed by David Lean (U.K./U.S., 1984, 163 min.) Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India among an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator. AFI Silver Theatre Mon., Sept. 1, 1 p.m.
The Passenger (Professione: Reporter) Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (France/Italy/Spain, 1975, 119 min.) Jack Nicholson plays a journalist in the Sahara Desert who switches identities with a similar-looking gunrunner who dies suddenly, leaving behind his old life and accepting all the consequences of his new one. (English, French, Spanish and German) AFI Silver Theatre Sept. 5 to 16
Reds Directed by Warren Beatty (U.S., 1981, 194 min.) Radical American journalist John Reed becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States. AFI Silver Theatre Tue., Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Stealing America: Vote By Vote Directed by Dorothy Fadiman (U.S., 2008, 90 min.) “Stealing America: Vote By Vote” revisits the issue of irregularities in the U.S. presidential election of 2004, claiming allegations of conspiracy that millions of votes and several states were switched. Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Towelhead Directed by Alan Ball (U.S., 2007, 124 min.) A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 19
Trouble the Water Directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (U.S., 2008, 93 min.) An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival is all about when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 26
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Directed by Woody Allen (Spain/U.S., 2008, 96 min.) Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture. (English, Spanish and Catalan) Various area theaters
Zabriskie Point Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (U.S., 1970, 110 min.) This epic portrait of late 1960s America is seen through the portrayal of two of its children: an anthropology student and a dropout who’s wanted by the authorities for allegedly killing a policeman during a student riot. AFI Silver Theatre Sept. 5 to 16
French
All Is Forgiven (Tout Est Pardonné) Directed by Mia Hansen-Love (France, 2007, 105 min.) A father and daughter are reunited some 11 years after the father’s drug addiction tore the family apart. (French and German) The Avalon Theatre Wed., Sept. 17, 8 p.m.
Belle Toujours Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (France/Portugal, 2006, 68 min.) Nearly 40 years after the classic “Belle de Jour,” Henri Husson makes his sadistic former wife face her past and takes a slow and painful revenge on her. (Screens with “Belle de Jour”) National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 7, 4 p.m.
Belle de Jour Directed by Luis Buñuel (France/Italy, 1961, 101 min.) Catherine Deneuve famously plays a frigid, masochistic housewife who decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute. (Screens with “Belle Toujours”) National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 7, 4 p.m.
Didine Directed by Vincent Dietschy (France, 2008, 103 min.) Didine, 35, drifts through life until a random encounter with three people compels her to grab both life and love to the fullest. La Maison Française Thu., Sept. 10, 7 p.m.
A Girl Cut in Two (La Fille Coupée en Deux) Directed by Claude Chabrol (France/Germany, 2007, 115 min.) This black comedy from Claude Chabrol centers on a perky TV weather girl who’s pursued by two very different men — a married literary ladies man and a handsome young but spoiled scion with schizophrenic tendancies. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 19
The Grocer’s Son (Le Fils de l’Épicier) Directed by Eric Guirado (France, 2007, 96 min.) Thirty-year-old Antoine is forced to leave the city to return to his family in Provence, where he must re-assume the lifestyle he thought he had shed — driving the family grocery cart from hamlet to hamlet and delivering supplies to the few remaining inhabitants. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., Sept. 12
La Lettre (The Letter) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (France/Spain/Portugal, 1999, 107 min.) A married woman) falls in love with a pop singer but refuses to act on her feelings, even after her husband’s death. (French and Portuguese) National Gallery of Art Sat., Sept. 27, 12:30 p.m.
German
The Blind Director (Der Angriff der Gegenwart auf die übrige Zeit) Directed by Alexander Kluge (Germany, 1985, 113 min.) In this unconventional episodic film, fragments of reality focus on just one thought: How a single moment can consume the past and the future. Goethe-Institut Mon., Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.
In Danger and Deep Distress, the Middleway Spells Certain Death (In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod) Directed by Alexander Kluge (Germany, 1974, 86 min.) For ten days Alexander Kluge and Edgar Reitz roamed through Frankfurt with their camera, combining documentary footage of the city with the stories of two women — one a thief, the other an agent from the East Bloc. Goethe-Institut Mon., Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m.
The Power of Emotion (Die Macht der Gefühle) Directed by Alexander Kluge (Germany, 1983, 115 min.) Five changes of time, five changes of place — numerous fragments at one time — transmit an unusual experience. Goethe-Institut Mon., Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m.
Yesterday Girl (Abschied von Gestern) Directed by Alexander Kluge (Germany, 1966, 84 min.) A Jewish woman comes from the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1966, as the stumbling blocks in her path of discovery are depicted in an almost documentary style. (Screens with “Brutality in Stone (Brutalität in Stein)” 1966, 11 min.)) Goethe-Institut Mon., Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Lao
Good Morning, Luang Prabang Directed by Anousone Sirisakda and Sakchai Deenan (Laos/Thailand, 2008, 99 min.) The first feature made in Laos in more than three decades tells the story of a Lao-Australian photographer who, while on assignment in Laos, connects with his cultural roots as he falls in love with his beautiful tour guide. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Sept. 26, 7 p.m.
Hindu
Children Playing Gods Directed by Irfana Majumdar and Arshad Mirza (India, 2007, 60 min.) During the festival of Ramlila, the streets of Varanasi are transformed into dramatic theatrical stages as Hindu deities manifest themselves in local children, who then act out the great epic of Rama. Freer Gallery of Art Sat., Sept. 20, 2 p.m.
Indonesian
Chants of Lotus (Perempuan Punya Cerita) Directed by Nia Dinata, Upi Avianto, Fatima Tobing Rony, and Lasja F. Susatyo (Indonesia, 2007, 102 min.) This four-part omnibus film focuses on the social situations of women living in modern-day Indonesia. (Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese and Sun) Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 18, 2 p.m.
Mandarin
Gone Shopping Directed by Wee Li Lin (Singapore, 2007, 100 min.) This satirical fairytale takes place over three days, during which time the stories of three characters intersect in a Singapore mall, revealing a nation’s obsession with shopping. (Mandarin, Tamil, Malay and English) Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
Invisible City Directed by Tan Pin Pin (Singapore, 2007, 60 min.) Documentary filmmaker Tan Pin Pin looks beneath Singapore’s image as a shining, modern metropolis in this engaging exploration of the city’s buried history. Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 14, 4 p.m.
Portuguese
Anxiety (Inquietude) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France/Spain/Switzerland, 1998, 110 min.) Manoel de Oliveira daringly combines a one-act play (Prista Monteiro’s “The Immortals”) and two stories (Antonio Patricio’s “Suzy” and Agustina Bessa-Luis’s “The Mother of the River”) into a single, visually poetic narrative. National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 21, 4:30 p.m.
Christopher Columbus, The Enigma (Cristóvão Colombo – O Enigma) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France, 2007, 70 min.) In this true story, a doctor and his wife embark on a journey to prove that discoverer Christopher Columbus was in fact Portuguese. (Portuguese and English; screens with “A Talking Picture”) National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 28, 4 p.m.
The Convent (O Convento) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France, 1995, 93 min.) An American professor (John Malkovich) and his French wife (Catherine Deneuve) spend time in a Spanish convent, steeped in research that will prove Shakespeare was Spanish-born. National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 14, 4:30 p.m.
Day of Despair (O Dia do Desespero) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France, 1992, 75 min.) The final hours of Portuguese 19th-century writer Camilio Castelo Branco’s life are portrayed in a thoughtfully poetic, quasi-documentary style. National Gallery of Art Sat., Sept. 13, 12:30 p.m.
Fish Dreams (Sonhos de Peixe) Directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky (U.S./Brazil/Russia, 2006, 111 min.) In an impoverished Brazilian fishing village, an orphan scrapes together a living as a lobsterman in hopes of a better life with the girl he loves. AFI Silver Theatre Thu., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 22, 7:15 p.m.
The Greatest Love of All (O Maior Amor do Mundo) Directed by Carlos Diegues (Brazil, 2006, 106 min.) A middle-age astrophysics professor battling cancer returns to the Rio slums to find out why his mother abandoned him at birth. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 30, 4:45 p.m.,
Suely in the Sky (O Céu de Suely) Directed by Karim Ainouz (Portugal/Germany/France/Brazil, 2006, 90 min.) Hermila returns from São Paulo to the expansive rural landscape of her youth, setting up a raffle — first of whiskey but soon of her own body — promising a night of paradise to the winner. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 21, 8 p.m., Mon., Sept. 24, 7 p.m.
A Talking Picture (Um Filme Falado) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France/Italy, 2003, 96 min.) In this delightful history lesson Oliveira-style, a professor embarks on a voyage from Lisbon toward Mediterranean ports and the Indian Ocean with her daughter. (Portuguese, French, Italian, English and Greek; screens with “Christopher Columbus, The Enigma”) National Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 28, 4 p.m.
Trance (Transe) Directed by Teresa Villaverde (Italy/Russia/France/Portugal, 2006, 126 min.) Provocative Portuguese director Teresa Villaverde’s latest film is an abstract, dreamlike piece recounting the abduction and forced prostitution of a young Russian woman passed from hand to hand across Europe. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., Mon., Sept. 24, 9 p.m.
Voyage to the Beginning of the World (Viagem ao Princìpio do Mundo) Directed by Manoel de Oliveira (Portugal/France, 1997, 95 min.) A troupe of actors and a director (Marcello Mastroianni in his final role) travel around Portugal for this sublime version of the road movie. (Portuguese and French) National Gallery of Art Sat., Sept. 27, 3 p.m.
Spanish American Visa Directed by Juan Carlos Valdivia (Bolivia/Mexico, 2005, 100 min.) A retired Bolivian teacher resorts to the black market to immigrate to America, but begins to rethink his decision after meeting a kind-hearted prostitute. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 21, 6 p.m., Sat., Sept. 22, 3 p.m.
Black Butterfly (Mariposa Negra) Directed by Francisco J. Lombardi (Spain/Peru, 2006, 118 min.) A schoolteacher suspects political motivations behind her fiancé’s murder and teams up with a muckraking journalist to investigate. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Sept. 19, 9:10 p.m., Tue., Sept. 25, 9:20 p.m.
Bluff Directed by Felipe Martínez (Colombia, 2007, 102 min.) Ever since his boss stole and married his girlfriend, Nicolas has been consumed with the need to catch his former employer cheating on his ex in this wickedly funny thriller full of double crosses at every turn. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 21, 10 p.m., Sat., Sept. 22, 9:45 p.m.
Chicha Tu Madre Directed by Gianfranco Quattrini (Argentina/Peru, 2006, 96 min.) Peruvian director Gianfranco Quattrini’s first feature film follows a taxi driver after news of his teenage daughter’s pregnancy compels him to change his destiny and become a Tarot reader in a quest for salvation and self-determination. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 30, 1 p.m.
Darkbluealmostblack (Azuloscurocasinegro) Directed by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo (Spain, 2006, 105 min.) Jorge dreams of being a businessman, but when his father suffers a stroke he has no choice but to take over his janitorial job until a childhood crush returns and makes him yearn for something better. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Sept. 19, 7 p.m., Thu., Sept. 20, 9:20 p.m.
Devil’s Point (La Punta del Diablo) Directed by Marcelo Pavan (Argentina/Uruguay/Venezuela, 2006, 90 min.) Diagnosed with a brain tumor, a Buenos Aires doctor drops everything and takes to the road, winding up in a love triangle in a remote coastal town in Uruguay. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Sept. 22, 1 p.m., Wed., Sept. 26, 9:45 p.m.
The Dog Pound (La Perrera) Directed by Manolo Nieto (Uruguay/Argentina/Canada/Spain, 2006, 109 min.) Failed college exams lead to academic exile for a hapless student who is then forced to do the unthinkable — actually work for a living. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 23, 9:30 p.m., Tue., Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
Drama/Mex Directed by Gerardo Naranjo (Mexico, 2006, 92 min.) One hot day and night on the seedy side of Acapulco, the lives of several lonely and desperate people crash against each other. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Sept. 29, 6 p.m.
Fists of a Nation (Los Puños de una Nación] Directed by Pituka Ortega-Heilbron (Panama, 2006, 75 min.) The greatest Latin American lightweight of all time, Panamanian Roberto “Stone Hands” Duran, is the subject of this documentary on the power of sports to uplift a nation. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Sept. 29, 11:30 a.m., Sun., Sept. 30, 11:30 a.m.
Glue Directed by Alexis Dos Santos (Argentina/U.K., 2006, 110 min.) A shy and awkward teenager uses drugs with his heartthrob best friend and their bookish companion to combat boredom and puberty in their remote Patagonia town. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 28, 10 p.m., Sat., Sept. 29, 8 p.m.
How Much Further (Qué tan Lejos) Directed by Tania Hermida (Ecuador, 2006, 92 min.) A Spanish tourist looking for exotic adventure meets a cynical Ecuadorian student and a tall, scrawny man carrying the ashes of his recently deceased grandmother in this journey of friendship and self-discovery. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 23, 1 p.m., Tue., Sept. 25, 7:10 p.m.
The Influence (La Influencia) Directed by Pedro Aguilera (Spain/Mexico, 2006, 84 min.) A depressive single mom sleepwalks through life until eviction spirals her into reckless despair, with the children ultimately descending into anarchic self rule. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Sept. 22, 5:15 p.m., Sun., Sept. 23, 5:15 p.m.
The Night of the Sunflowers (La Noche de los Girasoles) Directed by Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo (Spain, 2006, 123 min.) Spain’s isolated backwoods provide the setting for this noir thriller told in six interconnected “episodes” whose timelines and characters overlap. AFI Silver Theatre Thu., Sept. 27, 9:30 p.m., Sun., Sept. 30, 9:30 p.m.
To Play and to Fight (Tocar y Luchar) Directed by Alberto Arvelo Mendoza (Venezuela, 2006, 70 min.) This captivating documentary of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System — an incredible network of hundreds of town and village orchestras — portrays the inspirational stories of these world-class musicians. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 30, 3 p.m.
The Sugar Curtain (El Telon de Azúcar) Directed by Camila Guzmán Urzúa (Spain/France, 2006, 82 min.) In this autobiographical documentary, filmmaker and Cuban native Camila Guzman Urzua captures both the disillusionment that infected Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the nostalgia of a shared dream. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 28, 6 p.m.
A Ton of Luck (Soñar no Cuesta Nada) Directed by Rodrigo Triana (Colombia, 2006, 100 min.) What do you do with million of untraceable loot? That’s the question facing testosterone-fueled soldiers in a Colombian anti-guerrilla patrol who stumble on a staggering cache of drug money. AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., Sat., Sept. 29, 10:10 p.m.
Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) Directed by Patricia Riggen (Mexico/U.S., 2007, 109 min.) Nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother Rosario live parallel but separate lives in Mexico and the United States until unexpected circumstances drive mother and son in a desperate attempt to reunite. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Sept. 23, 3 p.m., Sun., Sept. 30, 7 p.m.
Who Killed the White Llama? (Quién Mató a la Llamita Blanca) Directed by Rodrigo Bellott (Bolivia, 2006, 112 min.) A happily married — who happen to be the most wanted criminals in the country — transport cocaine to the Brazilian border, embarking on a journey through the jungles, mountains and deserts in a riotous adventure that will test their relationship. AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Sept. 26, 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 29, 3:15 p.m.
Tagalog Santa Mesa Directed by (Philippines, 2008, 82 min.) Following his mother’s death, Hector arrives in Manila to live with his grandmother. Unable to speak Tagalog though, he falls in with a street gang before a photographer takes him under his wing. (Tagalog and English; screens with “Siamese Connection” and “Long Story Short” as part of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival) Freer Gallery of Art Sat., Sept. 27
Slingshot (Tirador) Directed by Brillante Mendoza (Philippines, 2007, 86 min.) From its shocking opening scene of a police raid on a squatters’ community to its irony-drenched climax at a political rally, Brillante Mendoza’s film is an adrenalin-fueled sprint through Manila’s underworld. Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Sept. 14, 2 p.m.
Thai Wonderful Town Directed by Aditya Assarat (Thailand, 2007, 92 min.) A Bangkok architect, sent to supervise construction of a new beach resort in a town devastated by the 2004 tsunami, falls in love with the young woman who manages the hotel in which he is the sole guest. (Screens with “Pool” (Canada/Malaysia, 2007, 13 min.)) Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Sept. 19, 7 p.m.
